DICE claims Battlefield 4 demo was “pre-alpha”

A few days ago, DICE released a 17-minute video showcasing Battlefield 4 gameplay. And the thing looked pretty good to us — visuals were stunning, gameplay was smooth etc. But according to developer DICE in a recent statement to us here at GDC, the demo was not optimized at all and was in pre-alpha condition.

While we understand that what we saw was not the final product, to say that it’s “unoptimized pre-alpha” is pushing it a bit. For one, no developer and publisher would ever allow a world reveal of a game in unoptmized stage.

We’re pretty sure that what we saw during those few levels that comprised the 17 minutes of gameplay were very optimized and tested throughout, so as to make a good first impression on gamers.

It’s certainly possible that the rest of the singleplayer campaign and the multiplayer in Battlefield 4 is in pre-alpha stage, but this would simply never happen with a portion of the game that’s being unveiled for the whole world to see.

Judge for yourself: watch the 17 minutes of Battlefield 4 footage below and tell us if there’s one thing — just one — that in any way looks “unoptimized”?

More evidence for why I think Frostbite 3 is just a selling point and isn’t a new engine. It’s an improved engine. But it’s not like going from BFBC2 to BF3. If they claim Frostbite 3 is a new engine, then what was the transition from BFBC1 to BFBC2 called? That was still Frostbite 1, just with a lot of impovments.

I’m so tired of all of these developers and publishers with their hyperbole bullshit. First, I find it annoying that they need to call it Frostbite 3 just because Frostbite 2 wasn’t running at max. I think we get it. They pushed out a new engine to regain development costs, but now had time to push it a bit closer to max. Still, calling it Frostbite 3 is a white lie.

Secondly, DICE or EA saying what was shown in those 17 minutes wasn’t optimized is so much garbage. It may not be completely finished, but I think we need new standards of speech to better explain things in the gaming industry. Too much is left to, like I said, hyperbole.

Anyhow I want the game and I hope consoles come damn close to what we witnessed in this 17 minutes. I want the real battlefield experience, without having to pay BIG money for a PC rig and not end up playing a gimped version like we did on current consoles.

I’m already imagining myself playing with friends in multiplayer levels that look so hyper realistic that we get lost in the immersion.

So far i think that Battlefield 4 is actually looking pretty good, i can’t wait to see footage from the multiplayer. I actually think that if EA and DICE make levels in Singleplayer like how they were in Battlefield Bad Company (Really Big, and you could use any vehicle you wanted) they might be able to pull it off, I also hope that they make a Bots mode or split screen multiplayer, either would be fine.

If you like what you saw who cares whether it was optimized or not? Why not take the developer at face value? Can you prove otherwise? From what I can tell he didn’t say what it was not optimized for such as PC, console, etc.

If you look at how other soldiers move, at times they look like the ground is made of ice. Also. how do you walk on glass without making a sound… Other improvements (e.g., picture linked by “jalalalalabar”) are required; this game doesn’t look like a lot changed between 3 and 4, probably because it’s pre-alpha. Love the fire effects, new models, and texture improvements though.